Reading Course on Marcia J. Bates

During Winter semester of 2017, I am offering a Reading Course on the work of information scientist, Marcia J. Bates. The Reading Course takes intellectually ambitious students deep into Bates' oeuvre and entails systematic study of her major writings plus selected articles that illuminate their immediate context. Participants in the course will gain a coherent perspective on the information domain and the relationship between people, information, information systems, and society. In keeping with Bates' vision, the technical, social, and applied dimensions of information will be considered holistically, making this Reading Course ideal for devotees of any iSchool concentration.

Drawing from the recently published, three-volume collection of her writings (pictured below and available online), Bates’ writings will be approached in six topical sessions: 1) Biography and Social Context, 2.) Searching Behaviour, 3.) Information Seeking and Interaction, 4.) Information, 5.) The Information Professions, and 6.) Conclusion. Throughout the semester, analytical attention will be directed twofold; towards mastery of Bates’ foundational ideas, and their reinterpretation and application in a contemporary information environment. In addition to independent reading, the learning process will be enriched by six, two-hour meetings of a student-lead discussion group. As a rare opportunity for iSchool students to engage a canonical individual in Library and Information Science, Dr. Bates will participate virtually in each discussion session. ​

To fortify newly gained insights, all readers will generate a substantial Final Paper that re-visions a seminal concept by Bates in today’s Information Age. These outputs will be presented (pending acceptance) at a panel event of the June, 2017 meeting of the Canadian Association of Information Science in Toronto--which will include a live rebuttal by Dr. Bates.

The initial Winter 2017 offering of this course will serve as a pilot test for a Summer 2017 version that brings readers from around the world into reflection and debate about Bates’ sweeping vision and its relevance today. The Reading Course is coordinated by Dr. Jenna Hartel, a student of Dr. Bates at the Department of Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles from 2001-2008, and now her collaborator, critic, and champion.